We value our sports at Renton High School and every coach and player. Here is some information about a few fall sports at RHS and what they are all about. If you are interested in joining or learning more, the coaches’ emails are on the bottom of each sport. You can also go to the RHS website page for more information:
https://rentonhs.rentonschools.us/athletics/athletics-information

Here is the list of the fall sports I interviewed: Girls Soccer, Girls Volleyball, Swim and Diving.

Girls Soccer, Coach Swanson

1. What is Girls Soccer all about?

Girls soccer at Renton High School is an opportunity to play a game you enjoy or try out
a new sport. Our team is split between players who have grown up with the sport and
players who have decided to do something new. Each player works to develop their

skills and we work together to grow as a team.

2. What is something you would like to tell Renton students about Girls Soccer?

Girls soccer players have very balanced (but busy) lives. Most students participate in at
least one club (and are often officers in those clubs) and many play more than one sport
throughout the year. Some students hold jobs and help care for younger siblings. Our
student-athletes have many responsibilities, only one of which is working hard in

practice to get better as a team.

3. What are some life tips/advice would you give to a high school student?

Find and take care of your people and let your people support you when needed. High
school is a key step in developing your beliefs and goals. Trying out new things and
staying committed to the things you value takes a lot of time and energy. You will get
stressed at times. Having a support system with your family, friends, and
teachers/coaches can be essential to navigating those stressful times.

4. What is your career like (experience, details, advice, etc.)?

I feel lucky to work at Renton High School. The students here have so many different
experiences and are willing to share those with their classmates and teachers. I feel like
students who go to school here have a better picture of the overall world than I did
coming out of high school and that is exciting. I enjoy my career as a teacher and a
coach, but I am constantly working to manage all of the tasks and stress that come with it.

For more information about practices and how to join please contact

rebecca.swanson@rentonschools.us

Girls Volleyball, Volleyball player Lilly Blair

1. What is Girls Volleyball all about?

I would say that volleyball is all about community! A lot about playing in the sport is
uplifting your teammates, cheering them on, working together as a unit, and bonding
over the sport. And that’s what makes it so enjoyable! We practice every Mon-Fri at
3:30 to 5:00 pm, and we sometimes play little games after practice which is so fun to learn

new things about my teammates.

2. What is something you would like to tell Renton High School students about Girl’s Volleyball?

Something I would like to tell Renton students about volleyball is that it can be a very

intense sport, and requires a lot of effort, talking, and teamwork.

3. What are some life tips/advice would you give to a high school student?

Some life tips/advice that I would give to another high school student is that they have
to try even if it seems hard. It can be incredibly challenging sometimes to try and keep
your head up, and to keep up with school work while still having a decent social life and
life outside of school, but making even just a small effort every day is better than none

at all.

For more information about practices and how to join please contact

moeifaga.sailiai@rentonschools.us

                                              (A photo of the RHS volleyball team.)

Swim & Diving, Coach Pavelin

1. What is swim & diving all about?

Swimming and Diving in high school has 12 events, consisting of 8 individual swimming
events, 3 relays, and 1 diving event. We compete in a 25 yd. pool. There are 4
individual freestyle events (50, 100, 200, 500), 100s of the other 3 strokes (backstroke,
butterfly, breaststroke), plus a 200 individual medley (one swimmer does 50 of the 4
strokes). The relays are the 200 medley (4 swimmers each do 50 yds. of one of the 4
strokes), plus two freestyle relays (200 and 400). It’s a time-based sport, meaning an
athlete’s biggest competitors are his or herself and the clock. With diving, it’s trying to
perfect dives in 5 different categories (front, back, inward, reverse, twist) in either a 6 or 11-dive format.

2. What is something you would like to tell Renton High School students about swim & dive?

We practice M-F and sometimes Sat. at Hazen pool, which is our “home” pool. This
comes after traveling to Lindbergh for the last 2 years while Hazen’s pool was being
renovated. Both our girls’ and boys’ teams have had many athletes qualify and place at
District and State over the years, including State Champions. Since our teams are
usually small, we don’t win many dual meets, especially against teams larger than us.

However, the main focus for every athlete is improvement. Because we practice and

compete off campus, there are many students and staff who
don’t know we have swimming/diving as a sport at Renton. Traveling every day to
another school for practice/meets isn’t easy- it’s time-consuming. However, we have
had many non-swimmers join who have improved greatly throughout a season and their
swimming/diving career at Renton and have been able to compete and do well. Some of
those who have stayed with swimming during high school have set school records,
while others have qualified and/or placed at State. Also, the swim team often leads to
job opportunities in aquatics, such as teaching swim lessons or lifeguarding.

3. What are some life tips/advice would you give to a high school student?

My advice to high school students is to not be afraid to try new things. It could mean
joining a team in a sport you’re not familiar with or being involved in a club/activity which
is different from your current interests. There are plenty of opportunities in high school
to meet new people and try new things. Take advantage of them, because the
opportunities often decrease as you go on to college and career. You never
know-maybe trying something new will open your eyes to the possibilities for a career

you had never thought of before. Swimming isn’t only a sport to compete in, but a lifelong

activity-people can and do swim into their 90s and beyond. It’s also a necessary safety skill, especially living in the Seattle area with so much water around.

It can also provide job opportunities.

For more information about practices and how to join please contact

diane.pavelin@rentonschools.us

(Photo of RHS swimmer doing a dive.)

Quotes for RHS students:

“I encourage everyone to try something new in high school. You might find hidden
talents or interests you didn’t realize you had. If girls soccer interests you, talk with some of our players and come out next fall.” -Coach Swanson

“I would like to say that volleyball is an extremely fun sport, volleyball is all about
teamwork and working together with people you just met or people you know. and get to
know new people throughout the season. I would 100% recommend joining the sport to anyone interested.”
-Volleyball player (Lilly Blair)

“Just because you’ve never tried it doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Give it a shot. You may surprise yourself.” -Coach Pavelin

If you need any more information about RHS sports, go to the Renton High School website:

https://rentonhs.rentonschools.us/athletics/athletics-information

or you can email the coaches for any sport you’re interested in.  You can also contact rashaad.powell@rentonschools.us who helps manage all the sports.